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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. rule — a law
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. charge — a price
  5. land — to come down
  6. land — a country
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. stand — to bear
  9. root — the cause
  10. mate — a partner
  11. root — of a word
  12. mate — a friend
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. wound — an injury
  15. rule — government
  16. current — of water
  17. current — electric
  18. root — of a plant
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. mate — to breed
  21. charge — in control
  22. wound — an injury
  23. charge — electricity
  24. current — happening now

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com